The Los Angeles Dodgers got a little scare Wednesday afternoon. Mookie Betts was scratched from the lineup against the Athletics with what the team called right wrist soreness. For a few hours, it felt like the kind of thing that could spiral into a bigger problem.
Betts didn’t play in a 7-1 loss to Oakland in the series finale. The Dodgers had already won the first two games of that series, 9-4 and 9-3. But the late scratch raised eyebrows. Wrist issues for elite hitters can mess with timing and bat control. And the Dodgers, who are already without catcher Will Smith because of neck inflammation, can’t afford another long absence from one of their stars.
MLB.com reporter Sonja Chen posted on X that Dave Roberts gave an optimistic update after the game. Betts was feeling better after treatment and Roberts said he expects him back in the lineup for Thursday’s series opener against the Padres. That’s a huge relief for a team that’s trying to stay healthy while holding onto first place in the NL West.
Roberts said the soreness didn’t come from one specific moment. It just showed up, then got better after the trainers worked on it. So the team is treating this as a precautionary thing rather than something that might land him on the injured list.
Betts had been in the middle of a nice stretch at the plate. He came into Wednesday riding a seven-game hitting streak, batting .355 over his last 15 games. So the timing of this would have been rough if it turned into something serious. But for now, it looks like a one-day issue.
The big picture for L.A.
The Dodgers are managing a few health problems right now. Will Smith is out until after the All-Star break with a neck issue. That puts some strain on the roster depth. Losing Betts for any real length of time would hurt the lineup and the defense, especially since he’s been playing shortstop this season. Having him back for the four-game set with San Diego stabilizes both sides of the ball.
Fans online were nervous when the scratch happened. But Roberts’ update basically turned a potential crisis into a non-story. If Betts is in the lineup Thursday, this whole thing becomes a footnote. And for a first-place club trying to keep everyone available for October, that’s the best possible outcome.
Roberts played it cautious. That’s usually the right call when you’ve got a franchise player with a wrist thing. Better to sit him for one game than lose him for a month.
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